New York creek has a 'vampire' problem

"They're a couple feet long, very, very different. They are fish, no connection to eels, though they do look similar," reported WKBW's Matt Bové.

They're called sea lampreys, though it's easy to see why some folks refer to them as vampire fish. They've been around for hundreds of millions of years, though their presence in waters near the Great Lakes is a little more recent.

And they've apparently become a problem for the fish in Western New York's Cayuga Creek. Our partners at WKBW have more.

"They latch onto other fish. They then suck the blood of other fish. And get this: In their adult lifetime, which is about 18 months long, they take down — alone — about 40 to 60 pounds of fish," reported WKBW's Matt Bové.

10PHOTOS

sea lamprey vampires

See Gallery

New York creek has a 'vampire' problem

Sea Lamprey Mouth

In this photo taken July 16, 2010, a scientist with the Hammond Bay Biological Station near Huron Beach, Mich., holds a female sea lamprey. The lamprey uses its disk-shaped mouth and sharp teeth to fasten onto fish and suck out their bodily fluids. (AP Photo/John Flesher)

Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), Cayuga Lake, New York, parasitic lamprey found on Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America

Sea lamprey traps often produce by-catch. This native silver lamprey was found in the trap and released back into the St. Mary's River.

Up Next

See Gallery

Discover More Like This

of

SEE ALL

BACK TO SLIDE

SHOW CAPTION
+

HIDE CAPTION
–

To control the lampreys, WKBW reports members of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada will apply lampricides — chemicals that specifically target lampreys' ability to reproduce — to area creeks later this week.

The vampire fish problem isn't unique to New York's Cayuga Creek, either. Michigan's Traverse City treats its own creeks to control lamprey populations as well. The invasive fish can be found in all five Great Lakes.

And for anyone worried about taking a dip in waters full of lampreys, worry not: They don't bite humans.